The Wild Side
by just a lost princess
Summary: Jack was sick of his perfect life. He needed to lash out. Nothing though, could prepare him for the girl he would meet. A Jate story. Full synopsis inside. Chapter 2 up now!
1. A Typical Day

The Wild Side

Characters: Jack and Kate (there will be a few familiar faces along the way though)

AU Story

Full Synopsis: Jack Shephard has a perfect job, perfect girlfriend, perfect family. Basically, everything in his life is perfect. He's sick of being perfect all the time. His life comes crashing down when he meets a beautiful girl named Kate Austen. She doesn't compare to any girl Jack's ever met before. She's running away from something, and Jack knows it's wrong, but he wants to run with her…even if it does mean going all the way to Australia. A JATE FANFIC!

I've been known to never finish stories, but now I have my own computer, so I should finish this one. I'll make sure of it! Enjoy Chapter 1…

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Chapter 1: A typical day

Bringggg!

Jack hit the alarm clock next to his bed. 7 AM. Every single morning, he woke up this way. Nothing ever changed, not one little bit. He got off of his king-sized sleep number bed and walked into his bathroom adjacent to the bed. 7:05 AM meant time to take a shower. For fifteen minutes he'd clean himself up before starting another typical day in the life of Dr. Jack Shephard.

7:20 AM- Now he was done cleaning and shaving. Time to get dressed in his appropriate attire for work at St. Sebastian's Hospital. He was a spinal surgeon, had been for a couple of years now. For a while, he enjoyed his job. But, Jack was tired of doing the same things every day. Sarah was his only patient that was really different from the ordinary. He needed something different. He got dressed and walked down the stairs to the smell of coffee.

7:25 AM- Sarah, now his girlfriend, was making coffee. "Hey, thought I'd stop by and give you a wake-up call." She walked over and handed him a mug, then gave him a quick kiss. "Anything exciting happening today?"

Jack took a sip and thought. He looked at Sarah. "Not that I know of, just the same old." Sarah smiled. There was a time that Jack's heart would beat rapidly when she smiled at him. That time though had come and gone. Sarah wasn't fun and exciting like she was when he got to know her.

Sarah walked away. "Well, I have to be at school soon, so I guess I'll see you after your shift is done." Jack nodded. She ran up and kissed him before running out the door. Jack sighed as he watched her car pull out of the driveway. Life was too ordinary for Jack Shephard. He needed something new in his life.

7:30 AM- Jack poured a bowl of Raisin Bran Cereal with some skim milk into a bowl. Sarah brought in the paper, so he decided to, like always, take a quick glance at it. The headline read, "Charles Widmore buys out company." Jack didn't know who Charles Widmore was, nor should he care. But, it must be nice having all that money to buy out things like companies. Jack would dream when he was little of being a Chief of Surgery, and he would say that if he had that kind of money, he would buy an island, not a company. An island that was away from civilization that would only include himself and what he wanted. It was like that question people would randomly ask you, "If you were stuck on a deserted island, what 3 things (or people) would you bring with you?" Jack sighed and looked at his coffee mug. He would definitely bring coffee; he didn't know how else he could start his morning without that caffeine rush.

7:39 AM- Time to go to work. Jack drove his BMW to St. Sebastian's. On the way, he saw a sign for Disneyland Park "The Happiest Place on Earth." Jack went there a few times when he was younger with his mom. He wanted his dad to go with him to take him on the Matterhorn, but he had to work. Jack's relationship with his father, Chief of Surgery father, was more than just strained. They had their ups and downs. Jack wished his father loved him more than alcohol. Jack tried to take Sarah there a year ago but Sarah said she hated rides. Jack couldn't understand how a person could live with themselves without riding a rollercoaster. Where was the fun in that? Jack and Sarah had been going out for a year and a half now, and Jack knew Sarah wanted him to propose. Jack knew it was only fitting, but he didn't want to marry Sarah. She was a great girl, but for them to be together for the rest of their lives? Jack loved Sarah in the beginning, but, now there was no "spark" in their relationship. It was so ordinary, normal, boring. He would have broken off the union a long time ago but he didn't know how. How could he?

7:57 AM- Jack pulled into the parking lot at St. Sebastian's. He walked out of the car, locked it, and walked into the hospital. It was time for another day at work. Some things never, and will never change.

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The day at work was going by slowly. Some kid came in who was riding a skateboard and naturally, fell down hard. His spine had enough damage that surgery was needed. Jack sighed, "Here we go again." The surgery was four brutal hours long. His dad came in late, and drunk. Fitting for the early afternoon. Jack hated the fact that his dad would be drunk when he was trying to conduct a surgery. Luckily, he wasn't doing the actual surgery today, just watching Jack. Jack's father, Christian, was his worst critic, and tended to be extra hard on Jack.

"Jack, slowly, slowly, come on, you know this!" His dad yelled at him. Jack just gave his father a glare. "It's fine dad." Jack wanted to slap his father. He was so out of it again! Jack wished that he didn't have to work for his dad. He wished he didn't have to work at all. He hated it all, and wanted it to end.

When the surgery was complete, Jack was asked to go to his dad's office. He walked in and saw his father sitting at his desk. He took a seat and looked at his dad. His dad didn't take his eyes off of whatever he was writing. "Good job today, Jack."

Jack had just fixed up a kid's spine, he'll be able to skateboard in a few months thanks to Jack, and all his father could say was "good job?" Jack didn't have a big ego, but he knew he deserved more than that. "Thanks dad."

"Listen Jack, I know that you are supposed to be off next week, but I need you to be here."

Jack was confused. Why did he have to be here? It wasn't like he had anything better to do, but he was planning on using his free time to go somewhere, somewhere far away from here.

"Dad, why do I…" Jack started.

His dad interrupted, "Because…you do. I'm sorry."

Jack shook his head. "No you're not."

His dad looked confused. Jack barely, if not never, spoke back to him like that. "I beg your pardon?"

Jack didn't want to fight, but he was sick of his dad's nonsense. "I won't be here dad, so I'm sorry. I don't have to be here." Jack walked out of the office.

He walked down the hall to exit the hospital. He could hear his dad yelling in the background. "Get back here, Jack! Now!" Jack turned back and smiled. He wasn't going to live anyone else's dream. He decided he was going to drive out of the hospital and leave. Leave his life behind. Because he was sick of everyone and everything. And today, he decided, would be the first day of the rest of Jack Shephard's life.

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So, what do you think? Next chapter will be Jack finally breaking it off with Sarah and his first run in with a beautiful girl named Kate. Reviews!! I would love suggestions, commentary, anything!! Next chapter should be up shortly! I know this one had tons of detail, maybe too much, but I needed to get the point across. Let me know what you think!


	2. Breakups and Makeouts

Well, it didn't take long. Yay! Here's Chapter 2.

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Chapter 2: Break-Ups and Make-Outs

Jack sped out of the hospital. He was done with it all. He looked at his watch. 4 pm. Sarah would be done with work. Perfect. He had to break it off. After all, it was a new him. He had to start over. He decided that he should go home first and change into more casual wear than what he was wearing now, which was scrubs. He sped to his home as fast as he could. For it was time for him to do what he wanted. No more waiting.

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Jack dressed into a plain blue shirt, jeans, and a pair of old Nikes. He was somewhat dreading the breakup. Sarah was a nice girl and loved him very much. But she deserved more. After all, he didn't reciprocate the feelings towards her. They couldn't do it anymore. He looked out of the window and waited for her to pull up. Just moments before, he called her to come over for a "quick second." He felt like a jerk for doing it, but he had to. He saw her shiny blue Cadillac pull into his driveway. He took a deep breath. "Here we go," He thought to himself.

She opened the door and walked in. They had been together so long, Jack told her to never bother knocking. It was a ritual for her to stop by everyday to say hi, so he always left the door open. She smiled and ran up to hug him. He didn't hug back though. He couldn't. She looked at him inquisitively. "Jack, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Jack ran his fingers through his hair. He chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I got fired today." It was true. His father was more than pissed off when Jack left abruptly. Jack heard more than a few choice words hollered at him from his own dear father.

Sarah, of course, didn't find it funny. "What, what happened?" She looked concerned. Jack knew it was unlike him to be careless. "I'm sure it's a misunderstanding. Why don't we go to the hospital and get it straightened out with your father?" She held his hand to walk out.

Jack then said, "It doesn't matter." Sarah just looked at him. Jack couldn't read her expression. Mad? Scared? Most likely confused.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter? This is your job, your career!" He could tell Sarah was getting ticked off at him too.

"Sarah, I'm sick of it. Sick of him, sick of my job, sick of y…" He stopped. He didn't mean to throw her in the mix. "I mean…"

Sarah looked ready to cry. "Sick of me? Sick of ME Jack?!"

Jack just sighed. Should he tell her the truth? He quickly decided the truth was better than nothing. "Sarah, this isn't working out."

"I don't believe this, Jack. This morning, you got up the same way you always did, you were fine, now this?" She was amazed, Jack could tell.

He shook his head. "That's the thing, Sarah. I got up the same morning like I always do. Nothing has changed in my life the past 3 years. I'm bored. We haven't even been remotely intimate in, who knows how long!" Jack didn't want to talk about their sex life, but it was true as well.

"Hey, that's the way you wanted it." Sarah was getting more than angry at Jack. But, he knew he was doing the right thing.

"No, Sarah. I just… don't love you. I'm sorry."

Sarah had tears streaming down her face. Then, she slapped him. "Don't say that Jack! It's not true." She tried to kiss him, but he backed off.

"I'm sorry Sarah. We're done." He wanted to cry too, seeing Sarah in this state. The last time he saw her cry like this was when he told her she would never walk again. Now, he was watching Sarah walk out of his house, into the car, out the driveway, down the street, and out of his life.

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Now it was six PM. Jack would normally still be at the hospital. He tended to work long hours or stay longer. He didn't have much of a life, and he used to enjoy his job. But, things had changed. Jack didn't know what made him urn for something more in his life. Not too long ago, he was happy. He got along with his dad, he loved Sarah, and he loved being a doctor. Had did that get thrown away? Jack hated being isolated in a big house by his lonesome. He needed to get out. He reached for the newspaper. Maybe there's something cool going on in one of the clubs. After all, he did live in L.A., there had to be something going on in one of their prominent clubs. Of course, it was a Wednesday. Jack looked around, and saw a drink special at a newer club in downtown L.A. Jack looked around. The kind of day he had, a drink special sounded perfect. He grabbed his keys off the table and walked out of the house to his BMW.

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The club was bombarded with people. It took him fifteen minutes to park and a half hour to just get into the place. He thought it was crazy for there to be so many people at the club at that hour, but, granted, the last time he had been to a club was when he was 23. He headed over to the bar and sat on a stool. "Hey, could I get a beer?" The bartender looked at him. "Just get me any beer, I don't care." The bartender grabbed a Budweiser and handed it to him. Jack wanted to get drunk, maybe meet a girl. He didn't care, he just needed to get out.

"Hey, could you get me a margarita please?" The voice belonged to a woman. Jack turned his head to the left to see the most beautiful girl his eyes had ever seen. She was petite and thin. She had long, curly chestnut brown hair that went not too far below her shoulders. She was wearing a green halter top with jeans and heels. She turned and smiled to Jack. Not only did she have a gorgeous smile, but she had beautiful green eyes. The bartender handed her the drink. "Thank you." She sat down.

Jack wanted to strike up conversation, but he didn't know how. A pick-up line would be way cheesy, considering they almost never work. Maybe he could give her a compliment? But, that might freak her out. How could he talk to her? He let out a huge sigh, even though he didn't mean to.

"Running from something?" He turned and saw the girl talking to him.

Jack took another sip of his beer. "What makes you think that?"

The girl laughed. "Well, let's see. You're at the bar rather than dancing. You're not exactly trying to either. You just let out a huge sigh and you are about to buy another drink. It's what people who run away from something do."

Jack chuckled. "You got me. I believe my dad fired me today; I broke up with my girlfriend. Basically, I'm sick of my pathetic life and I'm ready to lash out and do something crazy."

She laughed. "So your plan is to get wasted?"

He nodded and downed another beer the bartender gave him. "Yep." When he finished he looked at her. "What about you?" Jack noticed she didn't look ready to answer. She was looking at her drink. He wished he hadn't asked. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry."

She looked at him. "I'm running away from my pathetic life too. Except it's my family." She smiled. "By the way, I'm Kate." She held out her hand to shake.

Jack smiled at her and took the hand and shook it. "I'm Jack."

She let go. "So Jack, do you wanna dance with me? I mean, you want to lash out, you can lash out on me."

Jack chuckled. He decided to flirt back. "Well, if you insist, I'll let you take advantage of my drunken state." He followed her to the dance floor. He knew this was going to be one wild night, and he didn't care.

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Kate was exhilarating. Jack never met a girl like her before. The way she moved with him on the dance floor made Jack's heart pound three times faster than normal. The two of them were doing shots in between dancing, so by eleven thirty, they were more than drunk.

Kate practically fell on top of Jack after another shot. "Jack, I'm getting really really bored." Jack held her in his arms. He wanted her so bad, he never felt this way about anyone before. Kate pulled his head 

down and whispered in his ear. "I'm staying at a cheap hotel across the street from here. Come with me." He felt her lips touch the skin just below his ear. Jack closed his eyes. He wasn't one much for one night stands, but he wasn't the old Jack anymore. He had changed. She pulled him out of the club. "Let's try and avoid the cops cause we are so drunk." She laughed.

He was laughing really hard as he followed her. "We are not that drunk."

"We definitely are. Cause if we weren't, you wouldn't give into this." She pushed him up against the wall and kissed him hard on the lips. Jack gave in, she tasted so sweet. Of course, it was tequila, but it tasted better from her mouth. He felt her hands start to go under his shirt and he broke off the kiss.

"We should probably wait until we get to the hotel. We don't want to cause a big scene."

Kate laughed. "Wow, maybe you're not as drunk as I thought." She pulled him again and ran. Jack ran with her, into the middle of the street. A car beeped at them to get out of the way. They hit the wall of the hotel building and laughed. Kate pulled her key for the room out of her pocket and took Jack's hand. "Let's go inside." She led him to her door and opened it with the key.

Before they walked in, Jack pinned her to the door. Jack had never done anything like what he was about to do with Kate before in his life. He felt such a desire to be with her that night that nothing was going to stop him. He kissed her lips passionately and soon the door swung open. Kate put her hands on his chest and pushed him onto the bed. He fell on and she closed the door. She jumped onto his lap and started making out with him. He could feel his shirt being pulled off him and he broke off the kiss to let it come off. She kissed his neck and down his chest. He let out a soft moan. It had been a long time since he had sex, and he wanted it more than ever at that moment. She took of her shirt and kissed Jack again. He fell onto the bed with her on top. Nothing was going to stop them now.

All the sudden, he felt nothing. He opened his eyes and saw her run into the bathroom. He stood up to see what was wrong, but couldn't. He felt tired all the sudden. "Kate, are you alright?"

He could hear her puking. "Yeah, I'll be out in a sec." He felt his eyes closing. He tried to stop them but he couldn't. All the sudden, everything went blurry, then black.

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I know, I ruined a passionate moment between Jack and Kate. But they're both really drunk, and their relationship is based off of one drunken night. There will be more Jate later! Next Chapter: Jack wakes up from blacking out trying to remember everything, and something is not right…

Don't forget to review!


	3. The Day After

Okay, it's been forever! And I am sorry! See, last Tuesday, I kind of graduated, so graduation means graduation parties. Therefore I have been to several, including my own, this past week. I also have travelled to my birthplace and the city of brotherly love because I'm kind of leaving for the Bahamas on Friday. I'll try to update as much as possible this coming week. I doubt that there will be any updates while I am cruising in the Bahamas (it's only 4 days though).

Anyways…to Philadelphia…totally full born American. Of course, there is a huge Dutch influence where I'm from…but I'm assuming you're from Philly? Go Eagles, lol.

Anyways…here's Chapter _trois_!

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Chapter 3: The Day After

A bright light. That's what Jack first saw when he opened his eyes. Did everything that happen, him talking back to his dad, the Sarah break-up, the club, Kate… was it all a dream? He sat up and looked around. No, it couldn't have been. The room was small, the springs of the mattress were sticking out… it was not his bedroom. He saw his shirt thrown on the floor. He slid out of bed, picked it up, and put it on. He looked around. Where was she? For some reason, the alcohol wore him down. Most likely because he never did shots. He cursed himself for passing out like that. She must not have drank much either though, because she ran into the bathroom. Maybe she was still there…

He tiptoed toward the bathroom and saw the door was closed shut. He quietly opened the door for fear that she may be sleeping. But when he opened the door, there was nothing there except a towel. He sighed heavily. He looked around the room to see any note saying where she went. He looked around the bed, on the nightstand, in the bathroom, by the television; there was nothing. Jack pulled out his car keys and noticed something. His wallet…it was…thinner. He pulled it out and looked for money. He had gone to an ATM two days ago and pulled out 300 for some reason he couldn't remember. Two-thirds of that money was gone. He thought it was odd that she would steal most of it, but not all of it. Why would she do that?

He knocked himself over the head for what he did the night before as he walked out of the hotel. He found his car two blocks away. He was trying to regret going to a hotel with a complete stranger, considering she conned him, but he wasn't. He had fun last night. He wasn't sorry for what he did. He just wished he knew where she was, or who she was. He only knew her first name. He wanted to know her, because she brought him to the wild side of life, and he wasn't done discovering it just yet.

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Jack drove to a nearby convenience store by his home. He needed coffee badly so he decided to pick one up. He drove into the lot and started walking into the store. But, something caught his eye. He saw a paper hanging on the wall outside the store…with a picture of Kate.

He read it:

"Have you seen this woman?

Kate Austen: brown hair, green eyes, 24 years. Last seen in Las Vegas on May 28th. Any information, please call 1-800-555-3293. She is considered dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Jack pondered. But she seemed so innocent. She seemed like a good person who would help anyone. Of course, he barely talked to her and had only met her at a club where he was drunk and nearly slept with her. He didn't know much about her. She did say she was running away. Why was she considered dangerous? That's probably why she left. Someone must have tracked her down.

He walked back to his car. The coffee could wait. She had to be somewhere, and he was going to find her.

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Jack drove back home and saw his mother's Chevy Impala in his driveway. He thought it was odd, why would his mother be here? Of course, the way he talked to his father the day before…it was possible she wanted to ease tensions. That's what she always did.

He walked into the house and saw her on his couch crying. Jack walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, placing his hand on hers. "Mom?"

She looked up and smiled at her son. "Where were you?"

"I'm sorry, I was…out. What's wrong?" Jack was worried. His mother was very strong. It was odd for him to see her crying.

"Jack…I left…your father last night." She said it slowly, having trouble breathing from crying so hard. Jack was shocked. His parents had been together for a long time. Why would his mom leave his dad all the sudden?

"Mom…I'm sorry…why?" Jack was curious. Was it over the fact that Jack talked back to him. Did his dad relapse? His dad was an alcoholic…what happened?

"Jack…a woman called the house last night. She was looking for your father. I asked why, and she said it was because her daughter, Claire, was sick." His mother started to cry again.

Now Jack was even more confused. "Okay, but what does this…"

His mom interrupted. "Oh Jack…The woman corrected herself, and said that their daughter, Claire, was sick."

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Now the story begins. Claire is one of my favorite characters on the show, so I thought why not weave her into the story. Kate will come back soon, this is a "Jate" story! Reviews please, and sorry this chap was short, I'm trying to set the story up!


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